Cantillon Kriek 100% lambic pours a dark ruby hue, intermingled with burnt orange, topped with a shallow layer of pure white bubbles. The aroma we are treated to is nothing short of enchanting, reminiscent of orange blossom honey, dried flower scents, dark cherry, and lemony yeast. Cantillon once again shows off absolute mastery over sour libations in providing an intricate yet balanced flavor experience. One's first impression is that it is simple due to this supreme balance, but after a more careful focus on detail, along with your expected findings of vinous sweet and sour cherry notes, funky yeast and a little lacto, we also get more subtle pomegranate and citrusy lemon esters, green tea, a little spice and an earthy finish. Despite the tartness, it's doesn't scream simply sour cherry, and the mouthfeel is carbonated, yet very soft as well. A true masterpiece. (876 characters)

My experience so far with fruited lambics tells me that they're really best enjoyed fresh. A 3-month old Kriek makes the point well, demonstrating a bright pop of cherry up front, with some light gueuze-like complexity in the finish. I think that balance is key and, again, reason to drink these sooner rather than later. IMHO, of course. (338 characters)

Impressive starting off white (pink-tinged) head. Settles to ring bubbles with only a couple of spots for lace. The liquid is orange hued red. A bit hazy.

Very sour aroma. Some unidentifiable floral touches. I don't detect any cherry, though.

The cherry is subtle in the taste. Lots of tartness with a cutting carbonation that really makes the whole thing work. The aftertaste is moderately long with a chewy, lemony flavor. The body is thin with high carbonation, but again, it seems to work.

I'm not as psyched with this beer as some people, but I can see the appeal. (579 characters)

The flavor follows with that cotton candy flavor, cherry juice, skin, a bit of jam. A theme of minerality and cherry yogurt throughout. Mild tart quality, light funk, a good amount of red wine red fruit and drying. Oak structure dries out the beer. Carbonation is bright and bubbly.

Pours a red color with pinkish head fizzy head. Cherries, oak, tartness, and funk on the nose; follows onto the palate. Finishes with lingering cherries, lots of fruit on this one, tart and dry. (194 characters)

Thanks to snaotheus for bringing this bottle back in his luggage from Belgium! Poured into a goblet from a corked and capped .375.

Color is hazy ruby with a thick pink champagne-like head that dissipates fairly quickly. A very beautiful beer in the glass. Smell is funk, tart cherry, and oak. Taste is very tart, almost puckering at first. Cherry flavors and oak flavors combine to give this a really great balance. Body is fairly light with a lot of carbonation. Overall, a great beer. (496 characters)

One of the very few times I've ever thought "holy cow that is beautiful" when I poured a beer. Big fluffy pink head on rose-colored beer. Head dissipated fairly quickly without lacing. Nose had that classic Cantillon funk, but was not overly horsey or odd like some wild yeasts can be. It was funky but fresh and not overly powerful. Flavor was, of course, sour, dry. I was surprised the fruit didn't come through a little stronger (beer was fresh from the maker about a month and a half ago). Fruit lent more of a tart acidity with a dry cherry nuance. Mouthfell was right on. Full carbonation without feeling like soda pop, like a fine champagne. Overall, a classic. (671 characters)

Pours ruby red, quite bright. The nose indicates this will be very tart with notes of cherries, spur yeast, sour bugs, and earthy dust/straw. Unlike some beers, the taste follows the nose to the tee. This has super smooth, high carb, and light feel.

Once again, outstanding. I don't think this is worth the hassle and on par with the Lou Pepe Kriek. (351 characters)

Unlike most Krieks where the brewer or blender sweatens the finished product up for consumer's tastes, this one does not. You notice the take no prisoners character of this kriek upon opening the bottle as tart funky cherry aromas flow from the bottle. It pours an energetic hazy cherry red and its champagne like head quickly dissipates. This is a very dry, very tart cherry drink with traces of lemon, oak, over ripe fruit, and a hard to define, bitter finish. Refreshing and lives up to the hype. (499 characters)

Had this one with a good friend of mine to celebrate the birth of his 2nd child. He brought it back from Cantillon where he spent his honeymoom 3 years earlier. Excellent fruit notes, nice light tart and very drinkable!! (222 characters)

Look: Deep, cherry red with a slight hint of murk. Head is fairly thin and pale pink. Retention is so-so, as is the amount of lacing. It soon subsides to a foamy ring around the edge of the glass.

Smell: Cherries, oddly enough, with a hint of sourness and barnyard funk. Not nearly as in-your-face as, say, Rose de Gambrinus, but still plenty going on all the same. There are some woody, earthy aromas lurking in the background, but you'll only get those if you let it sit for a while.

Taste: The taste, on the other hand, is sour - again, it's not at the paint-stripping levels of Rose de Gambrinus. Even so, it's an extremely tart beer and you don't really get any hint of cherries until towards the end - the run up is full of those sour, zesty lambic flavours. When they finally arrive, the cherry flavours are a combination of sweet and tart, with a definite tilt towards the latter.

Feel: Quite dry and acidic, as you'd expect - like a lot of other Cantillon beers, the carbonation is a bit on the frisky side and this helps to accentuate the sourness. Medium body, it doesn't have that cough syrup thing going on that some fruit beers have.

Overall: A top drawer Kriek, but then this is a Cantillon after all. Well worth a try - in terms of sourness it's quite a bit tamer than its raspberry sibling, but that's not to say you'll get easy sipping sweetness. You won't. Well worth trying if you can track it down - availability seems to vary wildly. This is up there with Kasteel Rouge as my favourite cherry beer. (1,576 characters)

L- Very opaique cherry red with nice laceS- the smell is very sour, you can almost taste the wild yeastT-Extremely tart with very nice after taste of un ripened cherry.F-acidic cherry with a nice medium body (210 characters)

Pours bright and clear ruby red with a soft light pink head that surprisingly takes a while to fade.

Tart cherries, almonds, and brett funk in the aroma. Barnyard and oak. A good amount of vanilla.

Tart cherries and lactic acid upfront. Very tart. Barnyard and musty earthy brett character. Perhaps some acetic acid present. Lambic is very present along with cherries. Nice mingling of the two. Lots of funk and acidity as well as some oak. Bright cherry character gives way to a slightly more rich cherry character as it warms.

Highly carbonated. Acidity fills the mouth and lingers. Some tannins as well.

Though very tart, it is not at all one dimensional. Lots of cherry character though just a touch less complex and jammy as Drie Fonteinen. Still lovely. (763 characters)

Appearance is a slightly hazy ruby red with a two finger pink fizzy head.Aroma is tart, mineral, musty, raspberry and cherry. Very complexFlavor is cherry and raspberry seeds, tart with a little mustiness.Mouthfeel is medium with a dry finish that keeps you coming back.This beer is outstanding in Every way. Its extremely similar to atrial rubicite, this being slightly more balanced.A real treat to drink, hope to eventually get some more. (448 characters)

A: Clear pinky red body with bubbles running up the glass. Light pink head which disappears in an instant.S: Cider vinegar, brettanomyces yeast.T: Very sour and vinegary. There's some sherbety cherry in the mix but the sourness is 95% of the flavour. Apart from a subtly warming maltiness in the finish there is also no aftertaste. Okay, it does have an incredibly refreshing mouthfeel, but it can't rely on sparkling sourness alone.O: No flavour, just sourness, but it would go down great on a hot summer's day. (515 characters)

Poured into a Riedel tulip. The liquid is a cloudy bright pink with lots of bubbles rising through it. The pour kicks up a generous thick light pink head that fades to a thin cap after a few minutes and leaves almost no lace.

Aroma is mouth-puckeringly tart balanced by some modestly sweet fruit. Honestly, I wouldn't think cherries of the bat if I didn't already know there were cherries in it. There's a moderate amount of barnyard and hay, but as my nose gets adjusted to the tartness it starts to smell increasingly sweet.

Taste follows the nose. Starts off with some tartness that is not as intense as the nose originally suggested. There are some subtle hints of funk, but mostly it's lemony-sour. Mid-palate, the fruitiness comes out, but it's always playing second-fiddle to the tartness. The finish is pretty acidic, and the aftertaste is cherries, along with a weird almost mothball-y taste that isn't entirely pleasant to me, but is interesting.

Mouthfeel is light-bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation.

Overall, pretty nice - tastes like complex funky lemonade. Everything's balanced and it has a nice depth of flavor, but this style just isn't quite my cup of tea. (1,198 characters)

Appearance - Burgundy colour with a small size fizzy/frothy beige head. There is an average amount of carbonation showing and there is some faint lacing. The head lasted for 3-4 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Cherries, vinegar, Lemon

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste citric notes and fresh ripe cherries. There is also a light vinegar flavour and a light amount of barnyard funk. It ends with tart but not over the top cherry aftertaste.

Overall - Amazing how the cherries taste fresh and not artificial like they tend to do in other fruit/sour beers. Great balance and each sip brings out different nuances. Hard to find and pricier than other krieks, but worth it. (775 characters)

Has that very unique cantillon nose. Has some fruited taste, surprisingly a little bit of strawberry taste to it. Unfortunately, and expected there is a very strong/harsh aftertaste making you run for the tums. Overall solidly enjoyable if you have a strong stomach. (269 characters)

Bottle at Brasserie Cambrinus while in Bruges. Side by side with Rose de Cambrinus. Pours deep red color with a pink half finger head. Aroma of tart cherries, wheat malts, a bit of oak. Flavor follows with big cherry, though not overly sweet, with perfect tartness, and some vanilla coming through as well. Medium dry on the palate, light plus bodied, plenty of carbonation. My first time having this one and I think I light like it better then the LP Kriek. Awesome stuff! (473 characters)